Predestination

Little report to summarize the evening:

Philippians 1:6
being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus

Philippians 2:13
for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose

The main purpose of this sharing is that:
1) Acknowledge God who works behind everything - therefore rightfully deserves all the credit
2) Receive assurance in God's unfailing work in our development
3) Know the main purpose of us - and the whole universe
4) Understanding the role our efforts play
Being confident of this

Many people around says encouraging things at times. Sometimes, those words are simply to make us feel better - it could be based on truth or simply well-intentioned wishful thinking. As comforting as those words are, Paul here asks us to be confident in God's character - so that our faith

"might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power"(1 Corinthians 2:5)

That He who begun a good work in you
He - that is God, begun a good work in us. The work is evidently begun when we were waken from our slumber in sin - being turned over into His marvelous light. As much as God has plans for the events of the world - He does not do so at the expense of His good work in us. The phrase "in you" is definitely not referring to any external qualities/talents or possession we have, but would have to mean our development, or character.

"Naked a man comes from his mother's womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand" (Ecclesiastes 5:15)

So what is this good work? This development of us?

"For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son"(Romans 8:29)

To become like Jesus Christ for God's Glory. As we will "depart empty handed", and that in a thousand years our life and accomplishment on earth will be remembered no more, God takes our character - us as a person - very seriously.

It is important here to note that it is God who begun a good work in us. Not us ourselves. This is God's project - He has counted the cost like a wise builder, He thinks it worthwhile to begin, and He will complete it as we shall see in the next paragraph

Will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ
I am not sure what "until the day of Jesus Christ" would mean - honestly, but for now, the emphasis will be God bringing it to completion. God's bringing it to completion - as far as this verse and Philippians 2:13 is concerned, is very much centered on God's ability to make us holy, and not so much our ability to put in effort.

What implications does this have?
Knowing that God does not abandon His work (I speak from His credibility and track record), we have a promise here stating explicitly that He "will not leave us nor forsake us". Not so much an encouragement only - but an assurance. We ought to be confident - that should we fall, we repent and confess our sins to Him who

"is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9)

and then we rise up in hope - knowing that our falling will be used by God to

"work for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28)

and have no need to hear lies from Satan telling us that our falling short this time shows that we are essentially incapable to please God - even with His Spirit in us. We agree with Satan that our sinful nature does not and will never be able to please God, but we disagree that God has given us up - or has left us to work out our own salvation.

for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose

From the previous verse,

"continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12)

Paul advocates that in our effort, God puts in His effort. God's effort does not make void our effort - on the contrary, His efforts are revealed in our efforts. He works in us. When we desire in our heart to praise God, to do something that is pleasing to Him - it is the Holy Spirit in us who yearns to do the Will of God.

Surely this desire to please God is not of our sinful nature - therefore it must me of our new spiritual nature. Our God revived and inspired spirit yearns together.

Not only God gives us the desire, He gives us to ability to do it. While something might seem too great a sacrifice to give, God gives us the knowledge to say

"whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ" (Philippians 3:7)

and give whatever needs to be given away - with joy, counting it a blessing. We know then that even our efforts and our labour in God is for His purpose - We may at times see the service we contribute as a singular separate effort which ends in itself - but God uses it for future plans that we do not even have any idea about!

Let us be ever mindful that God deserves the credit for all these:

"For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
"For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

God not only works in us - but He has chosen us before we were born or have the ability to choose Him. This extreme favour(pre-planned life our ours) would be one aspect of predestination. That God has set for us plans - in our case of believers - plans that lead to salvation and an eternity spent with Him and our fellow brothers and sisters.

As much as we seem to have a choice now to do good or to do evil - Are we not choosing to do good because God's Truth has dawned upon our hearts? Is it not God who has influenced our will to see His goodness and choose Him above the glitters of the world?

Answering a question:

1) Is it true therefore that some people are born to eternal condemnation (that is, born to go to hell?)

Yes, it is true. However, the underlying question would probably be, isn't God unfair in doing that? God is as just and fair when He sends one sinner from hell, or saves the other into eternal life. God did not send innocent people to hell, but those who suffer hell are like us - deserving of it by natural consequences.

We are saved not by our merits, but by the saving grace of God - Our death has been substituted by Christ death - So that we are not saved merely by mercy, but also by the justice of God - Justice in punishing Christ, mercy in our salvation.

The reason that I would accept this as an answer is:
1. God is sovereign - He does according to His pleasure

2. But more importantly, we know that God is a good God, and that He is a loving God. His pleasure is good and not wicked in nature. Therefore, He having absolute power and control over all our lives is not something meant to be feared the way we would fear an unjust slavemasters who kills according to his fancies. Or sometimes discipline teachers back in high school who have mood swings.

Scriptural reference to God's choice:

For he says to Moses,
"I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."

It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy.

For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."

Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.

One of you will say to me: "Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?" But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?' "Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?

What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory— even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?

(Romans 9:15-24)

God chooses one and not the other. For us who have been called and justified - which we will soon be glorified - this is purely God's gift. The gift is so hefty, so big, and so undeserved for very good reasons:

1) Should it be smaller, we might account our holiness to our strict discipline
2) A big gift is fitting for a rich king (Remember the story of Napoleon giving gold coins?)
3) Undeserved, so that we know indeed we have nothing to boast of ourselves

Having a great gift deposited in our souls, let us then remember it is God who fills us, gives us the desire to do His will, and gives us the power to do so too - God has called us before we existed, He watched our birth, saved our souls, prepared good works for us to do, invested in our development by His Spirit, ensuring that our temptations do not grow too big for us, most of all - exchanged His life for our lives. Though we know that God's Life is of infinitely more value than ours, but Jesus humbled Himself - bringing Glory to God by esteeming His life well spent in exchange for our death.

Therefore, we fear. Yes we fear. If God has chosen us, it could be as easy and simple that He did not choose us - and that we would end up in hell.

Does not John Newton's hymn sing out the story of grace therefore?

"Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
and grace my fears relieved,
How precious did that grace appear,
the hour I first believed"

On a human level - should we be thinking chickens, we would be so fearful if our masters suddenly fed us with the choicest grains - for we fear that we would end up on a plate next week!
But God has no ulterior motive to put us on plates - In this we then work out our salvation in fear and trembling. No the fear of punishment - but respecting and loving God - who showed us mercy undeserved.

God does not coerce or threaten us to live holy lives - but now knowing God's good assurance for our spiritual success - He guarantees our final destination as of Philippians 1:6, and He also guarantees our journey as of Philippians 2:13 - assuring us of not only guidance, but His residence in us.

He now lives in us - How can He give us up without breaking His Word and giving up on Himself!?

Since it is God who lives in us, we ought to live therefore in truth and no longer in pretense to men. Let our prayers be with integrity - and not mere words to please our hearers. For Jesus says that the people who "perform" prayers have the rewards from men:

(Let us clap our hands and pity their little rewards)...Clap Clap Clap...

But God takes none of these nonsense. In the words of Charles H. Spurgeon, our eloquence and oratory is nothing before God. It is an insult to divine intelligence thinking that we could flatter God like we would bribe the men of this world.

When the two men prayed, the Pharisee could probably make a poem out of his "righteousness" - but God only heard one prayer that day. The prayer sounded like "God be merciful to me a sinner".

God hears our hearts, even when our words fail to express them. But knowing that it is even God in us who enables us to offer true prayer - let us not insult God by putting up fancy words to scratch the itches of the ears of listeners. When we encourage our friends, let us do so lovingly; when we pray, let us pray truthfully too - but let us not do such nonsense like praying for our friend to let them hear some encouraging words, in disguise to praying with God.

Having good assurance in God, let us strive to maintain our constant dependence on Him by frequently praying to Him throughout the day. When we walk, or do our work; when we see a beautiful flower or when disaster strikes us - let us always tell God as it is - to be truthful to God and tell us our fears and desires.

I have many reasons that God would love an honest sinner compared to a pious Pharisee. Having good assurance and good support, let us love God - talk with Him and grow with Him for that is His design for our growth - Not to slave under laws that we could never keep and punish ourselves for it - reminding ourselves daily of hell's threat to live a holy life for Him.

No- no- He gives peace. Jesus gives peace. Disciplines have their place - they should all be practiced with the understanding that it is God who works in us. Apart from that, it is better to be a common sinner than to be a self righteous Pharisee.

I believe with all my heart that God has destined greatness for you all dear cell members. He has called and justified you - He will glorify you. He has set you and I for success according to His definition (the best this world can never offer) - never give up hope, Jesus says to Peter to forgive his brother seventy times seven times... How would Jesus Himself offer less?

In view of such mercies, let us surrender ourselves totally and freely to God, doing everything to His Glory for He loves us and He remembers our welfare too - For His Glory - is the purpose of our existence, and also of the Universe.

Amen!